Looking at points, there's gaps larger than a race (using that to mark field breaks in quality) between:
2nd (Penske #22) and 3rd (Stewart Haas #4),
6th (Penske #2) and 7th (Ganassi #1),
21st (JTG Daugherty #37) and 22nd (Childress #3),
22nd and 23rd (Leavine #95),
25th (Childress #8) and 26th (Front Row #34),
31st (Front Row #36) and 32nd (Premium #15)
Race gaps further back in the field mean more than higher up in the field, because cars as you go back don't score as many points, so at midfield a race gap at the front becomes more like a 2-race gap.
Comparing 21st in points to 26th in points, it's 413 to 287, a 176 point gap. So 21st is averaging about 21 points a race and 26th is averaging about 13. That is a monstrous gap in quality around what would largely be considered the back half of midfield. 26th on back is your 3 Front Row cars, Bubba, Preece, LaJoie, Chastain, and all your tail enders.
2nd (Penske #22) and 3rd (Stewart Haas #4),
6th (Penske #2) and 7th (Ganassi #1),
21st (JTG Daugherty #37) and 22nd (Childress #3),
22nd and 23rd (Leavine #95),
25th (Childress #8) and 26th (Front Row #34),
31st (Front Row #36) and 32nd (Premium #15)
Race gaps further back in the field mean more than higher up in the field, because cars as you go back don't score as many points, so at midfield a race gap at the front becomes more like a 2-race gap.
Comparing 21st in points to 26th in points, it's 413 to 287, a 176 point gap. So 21st is averaging about 21 points a race and 26th is averaging about 13. That is a monstrous gap in quality around what would largely be considered the back half of midfield. 26th on back is your 3 Front Row cars, Bubba, Preece, LaJoie, Chastain, and all your tail enders.